Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly to Get Treatment After Cancer Returns

Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly said he will undergo treatment for cancer after testing showed that it had returned, ESPN reported.

“As our family has faced many trials and triumphs throughout the years, you have blessed us with your prayers. We are asking for those prayers once again,” Kelly said in a statement Thursday, March 1, to ESPN. “The oral cancer we hoped would be gone forever has returned. Although I was shocked and deeply saddened to receive this news, I know that God is with me.”

He added: “I continuously talk about the four F’s: Faith, Family, Friends and Fans. With all of you by my side, we will fight and win this battle together. Staying ‘Kelly Tough’ and trusting God, will carry us through this difficult time.”

Kelly, who played for the Buffalo Bills and took the team to four Super Bowls, underwent radiation therapy and chemotherapy in 2014. Doctors said he was cancer-free in September of that year.

Absolutely crestfallen about news from @JimKelly1212 that his cancer has returned. I love that man. And know he’s got another victory in him. #KellyTough

“We are deeply saddened to hear the news about Jim Kelly and his impending battle with cancer,” the Bills said in a statement Thursday, ESPN reported. “Jim is a tough and courageous man and we know he will fight this battle with strength and determination. The Buffalo Bills will support the Kelly family during this trying time and we ask our fans to pray for the family as Jim begins the treatment process and the road to recovery.”

On Friday, Kelly told WGRZ-TV in Buffalo that he’ll undergo reconstructive surgery on his upper jaw later in March. The report said that the procedure will close a large interior hole in his jaw, and the surgery will help his quality of life.